Chapter 035 - Afternoon

Anna dabbed her lip, hissing at the pain and scowling. Her first round of matches with Catherine had been, for lack of a better word, humiliating. Every time she hit the ground came with another flare up of that white-hot anger in her veins. Over and over again, stoked until she’d made a mistake and got a wallop in the face with the hilt of Catherine’s sword for her trouble. That had been the end of the morning training session and, since Anna was still half-way through her sixth food pill there was no reason to really take a break besides refreshing herself with some water. Catherine had already scooped up lumps of snow from outside and slowly melted it in the bathroom apparently.

She was wondering how the damn machine of a woman had the time to do all these things while they descended the steps into the dark of the processing room and lock-up with a handful of trash bags from the precinct stock room clutched in her hands.

“We’ll clear the room of anything that isn’t useful and set up what you got from your inheritance,” Catherine said.

Anna watched the woman’s back and shook her head. Anna wasn’t an unmotivated person by any means, she had fought and bled to get this far. Yet she couldn’t comprehend how someone who had for all intents and purposes been in hell for millenia would immediately hop into action like this. “Do you ever rest?”

“Yes,” Catherine said.

No further explanation came and Anna shrugged it off as they set up glow stones around the perimeter of the room to provide maximum illumination. There was still an eerie green tint to everything but it was serviceable. While Anna shoved old documents, files, folders, and junk into bags, Catherine went through and grabbed pens and tools. Anything that had an apparent and pragmatic use. They argued briefly over what to do with the camera since the device hadn’t been charged in ages and the computers were all toast, Anna ended up keeping it.

It took over an hour to set everything up. Crates filled with those odd playing-card sized plates of various materials were set atop one of the counters to the left of a central spot Anna left cleared for work. On her right were the half a dozen styluses and tools that were part of some overall kit. With them was the small pile of books covering various related topics to the profession. Set on the floor along the wall were the other crates filled with either the weird clear glass balls or the piles bent and twisted weapons.

“It looks like I’m some kind of junk artist,” Anna mumbled, turning around and surveying her workspace.

“Junk artist?”

“They make sculptures out of scrap metal and trash. It’s all about recycling or something,” Anna said absently, picking up one of the card sized plates. It looked a little like iron.

Engraver’s Easy Practice Plate (Mortal-Common)
This small sheet of magically primed steel is intended to be used to practice the engraving skill. It is suitable for engraving a single rune with the ultimate goal of turning it into a single-use spell token. An engraver can gain experience through practicing with this plate and improve their skill up to Low rating with it.

Anna mouthed through the description, reading into the words. Metals can be magically primed, she thought. Sounds a lot like a few of the descriptions of my armor. Engraving a rune, so runes are part of the medium. She hummed thoughtfully and turned the token over between her fingers. Single-use spell token. Like a scroll but pocket sized? I wonder what the difference is. She looked over towards Catherine but found the woman staring at the scrap weapons with a flummoxed look on her face.

Pretty sure Engraving is not in her wheelhouse, she thought and chuckled a little to herself. She looked back at the description. Low rating. So it goes Base, Low, Middle? Catherine mentioned wanting me to get to middle.

She shook her head and moved on to the next couple of boxes with different labels on them. There was a medium rating plate made out of what looked like some sort of gold alloy. Then there were the hard rating plates, they were made out of some kind of shiny black material that felt somewhere between stone and glass. Obsidian? Probably. The last set of boxes contained the peak rating plates. Each of them was made out of raw glass and felt incredibly delicate to the touch. Besides their names, their descriptions were locked behind an ‘insufficient skill level’ notification.

Anna clicked her tongue, and turned one of the glass ones over in her hand. It felt like she could crack it just by applying a little pressure with her thumb. You can engrave on this? She thought, a bit daunted by the prospect. She carefully slid it back into the spot she’d taken it from and moved away.

“Intimidated?” Catherine asked.

Anna didn’t look at her as she picked up one of the books. She brushed back her dark hair over her ear and read the cover. ‘An Introduction to Engraving by Ibbek Calesyne’. “Not really, just another challenge. Doesn’t seem like your thing though,” she said. “Honestly this feels like academic work which was all I really knew before the world went to shit.”

“Then I’ll leave you to it,” Catherine said. “I will be of no help to you. I’ll come and check in later.”

“Off to ‘gather essence’?” Anna asked irritably.

“Yes, and when you are ready for it I will explain, not before then,” Catherine shot back. “I will also be taking care of a few other things. We are fortunate this area seems to be inhospitable to monsters.”

Anna fought down the urge to roll her eyes. “Thanks. You do that.”

Catherine went up the stairs without another word and Anna clicked her tongue. “Great job, Anna. Way to come off like a bitch, again,” she grumbled and rested her head against the counter. “I don’t know why she gets under my skin so much. She’s been nothing but helpful,” she muttered and tapped her forehead against the metal surface. She pushed herself up and glared at her reflection. It’s my heritage, isn’t it?

She sighed and pressed her palms to her eyes. Focus. You aren’t getting stronger and mastering this shit without effort. You have a walking tutorial now, the System hasn’t fucked with you in a while, enjoy it while it lasts. She exhaled and reached for the introduction book again, cracking it open.

As if summoned by her very thoughts a notification appeared.

<Main Quest Alert!>

Grow - Part 2 (Variable Difficulty)

You have survived the trials within a deadly dungeon and come out not only alive but with help that could be the difference between life and death. Time continues to march on towards the inevitable end of the Integration and the Tutorial. You have an opportunity before you, though. A unique confluence of circumstances has given you the chance to acquire a profession before the usual required level.

All things change, however, and the Integration continues. Eventually this region will be reshuffled and your position moved once again. Unlock your profession and get it to level five before that happens to complete this quest. Should you also refine two more class levels during that time you will receive bonus rewards. 

If you fail you will receive no further Main Quests.

Time Remaining: 14 Days, 12 hours, 19 minutes.

Rewards: 1 Copper Coin, Equipment Upgrade Token (Variable)
Bonus Reward: Skill or Ability Token (Variable)

Anna’s eyes widened as she read the words. “Uh… fuck!” She turned to the stairs, “Catherine! HEY! You better not have fucking left yet!” 

A few minutes later, Catherine was frowning as she considered the wording of the quest. “A main quest, fascinating. I’ve never seen one,” she said. “I shouldn’t be surprised though. Given your status of being unintentionally excluded from the tutorial. That seems like the least resource intensive way for the System to rebalance things.” 

Anna raised her eyebrows, “Well?”

Catherine frowned at her. “Well what? Get to work, you have limited time. We will go without the magic lectures for now unless you have a question. You cannot lose this opportunity. Be proactive.”

Anna exhaled and pinched the bridge of her nose. “And the bonus condition?”

“I will look for a hunting ground, just focus,” Catherine said and turned back up the stairs. “Is there anything else?”

Anna looked back at the books. It had taken throwing herself into a meat grinder to reach level five. She couldn’t even imagine the kind of requirements for leveling up a profession. Catherine seemed confident, though, but the lady was crazy in a lot of ways. She sighed and shook her head. “No, go on. I’ll figure it out.” she hesitated. “Thanks.”

“You’re welcome.”

As Catherine disappeared up the stairs again, Anna snapped open the book she had tried to start reading earlier to the front page which had a foreword in it.

To you who would inherit my legacy,

Thank you for taking up this challenge. I present to you this tome and accompanying materials. I hope that in studying this work and the collection I have prepared you understand that Engraving is not just a way to craft conveniences and weapons of war. It is an art form and a way of expressing oneself with mana and the lessons of many magical traditions.

I, as an Engraver, had a goal of my own. It was my dream to construct a golem that was more than just a machine, one that could be a friend. It was arrogant to want to simulate life, but I am an arrogant man. Golem crafting is one of the most difficult paths an Engraver can follow and in my obsession I let time escape me and my path of growth faltered. 

I never grew powerful enough to increase my lifespan and now I am old. I have spent what may very well be my last year of life preparing this tome with the help of a dear friend. Should a worthy Engraver hold it, my notes on golem crafting will be revealed. It is your own business whether or not you use them. Regardless, I hope these materials will assist you in building a foundation that will allow you to surpass me. Good luck, young Engraver. May you find your own enlightenment and lofty goal in this place.

Ibbek Calesyne, Golem Master of - - - -

Whatever was written after his title had been scratched out. 

Anna ran her fingers over the words, Guy was one heck of an academic, studied literally till he dropped. Sounds like we would have gotten along, or he would have annoyed the shit out of me. She tilted her head. “Building a friend, huh?” She shook her head, her shoulders slumping a little as she thought back to high school. “Yeah that would have been nice, I get it. Someone in my corner besides Mom would have been…”

She cleared her throat and rapped her knuckles on the words. They were heartfelt and honest and came from somebody who put forth an effort to pass his legacy along. Unlike a certain deadbeat who took somebody else's work and gave it away, calling it an inheritance. Who presents that and a war criminal to their daughter as a gift? Asshole. She patted the book. “Ibbek, huh? Thanks. I hope your book helps.”

She took a seat and started to read.

There was something about cracking open a new textbook that made Anna feel a little excited. Maybe it was her mother’s influence, or the fact that she’d grown to enjoy the feeling of accomplishment that came with getting good grades in High School. Either way, the letters on the page seemed far more inviting than running her ass off, fighting bloodthirsty monsters, and avoiding deathtraps.

Then came the bad news.

“Engraving requires, at minimum, a rudimentary understanding of the basics of Arcane Magic and the methodology by which spells are cast,” Anna read aloud. “If you do not possess this knowledge, please see ‘An Arcane Primer’ included in the materials…” she trailed off and groaned. “Okay. At least I get to work on it at the same time instead of listening to Catherine lecture me more.”

She found the book under a few of the others and opened it as well. It didn’t have a foreword and was far less personalized than the book by Ibbek. Instead, it struck her as a more standard textbook with numerous authors and editors listed on the front page. Names she didn’t recognize nor care to remember. She flipped past some editors notes and a few paragraphs glorifying some group called the ‘State Mage’s Society’ before finally getting to the actual meat of the material.

“Arcane Runes, Spells, and Magical Algorithms,” she murmured and flipped through a few pages of the opening chapter. It was filled with complicated diagrams and… she squinted at one of the diagrams. Wait. Hold the phone. She ran her fingers over the paper and her eyes widened. She checked beneath the diagram just to make sure. Oh shit, this is Mana Barrier. Right here, on paper. She huffed out a laugh and flipped to a few other diagrams. Mana Bolt, Pathetic Illusion, they’re all in here! She clapped her hand to the side of her head and laughed.

“Holy shit, I love books.”

She hurred back to the front of the book and started to read. And read. And read. By the time she slammed the book shut she was scowling at the text. To say that arcane magic was like doing mathematical equations was the understatement of the century. Clearly finding a way to learn the spell through the system was far more preferable. This was because of how ludicrously complicated the magic circle of a spell was. The equations involved felt like doing calculus, chemistry, and physics while performing a handstand and singing the alphabet backwards. In short, it was a fucking headache. 

Meanwhile, she thought and cast Mana Barrier. She felt the spell being cast and knew there was something going on when she cast it, but it felt like the System was handling the bulk of the work somehow now that she understood what was going on inside. She clicked her tongue and stubbornly opened the book back up. I didn’t live with a mom like mine as long as I had and not at least learn a few things about how to handle complicated shit like this.

“I need a notebook,” she muttered and got to her feet, turning around and stopping when she looked at the base of the stairs. A pile of notebooks and pens were already waiting for her alongside a thermos.

She sighed and rubbed her neck, walking over to pick them up. She shook the thermos and opened it, Snow water. “Alright, ten points to Sergeant Haust,” she said before allowing herself a rare smile. “I guess I should thank her later,” she turned back to her desk. For now, it’s back to school.